Chapter 6

The Elements of Arts and Principles of Design

By the end of this topic/chapter, you must be able to:

Intended Learning outcomes:
1. Explain the different elements of Arts;
2. Familiarize on the various elements present in the different categories of arts;
and
3. Apply the knowledge on the principles of design in making and analyzing
artworks

Introduction

The elements and principles of art and design are the foundation of the
language we use to talk about art. The elements of art are the visual tools that the
artist uses to create a composition. These are line, shape, color, value, form, texture,
and space.
The principles of art represent how the artist uses the elements of art to
create an effect and to help convey the artist's intent. The principles of art and design
are balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/variety. The
use of these principles can help determine whether a painting is successful, and
whether or not the painting is finished.
The artist decides what principles of art he or she wants to use in a painting.
While an artist might not use all the principles of design in one piece, the principles
are intertwined and the use of one will often depend on another. For example, when
creating emphasis, the artist might also be using contrast or vice versa. It is generally
agreed that a successful painting is unified, while also having some variety created
by areas of contrast and emphasis; is visually balanced; and moves the viewer’s eye
around the composition. Thus it is that one principle of art can influence the effect
and impact of another.
The 7 Elements of Art

The elements of art are the "building blocks" of art.

This is the vocabulary we use to describe works of
art.

Line A path created by a moving point, mark or

object. It is a dot that takes a walk. A line can be
straight, swirly, wavy, jagged, dotted, dashed,
broken, thick, thin, zig zag, diagonal, vertical,
horizontal, curved, bold, parallel or perpendicular.

Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893

Shape A two-dimensional (2D), flat

enclosed area. When a line crosses over
itself it creates a shape. Examples of
shapes could be geometric,
organic/natural, irregular, circle, square,
rectangle, diamond, oval, crescent, heart,
triangle, and octagon.

Pablo Picasso, Three Musicians, 1921

Color The element of art derived

from reflected or absorbed light.
Color adds interest and mood to a
work of art. It is also referred to as
"Hue". The primary colors are red,
yellow and blue. The secondary
colors are created by mixing the
primary colors. They are purple
(violet), orange and green.

André Derain, Charing Cross Bridge, 1906

Texture How something feels or
looks like it would feel if you could
touch it. There are two kinds of
texture: Real (how something
actually feels, such as a sculpture)
and Implied (when an artist paints
or draws a texture but it is artificial).

Meret Oppenheim, Object, 1936

Form Objects having three

dimensions (3D), or height,
width, and depth. You can walk
around a form. Examples of
form can include cubes,
cylinders, and spheres.

Niki de Saint Phalle, Le Paradis Fantastique, 1967-1971, Photo Credit: Frankie Fouganthin
 Value The lightness or darkness of an object;
the degree of lightness or darkness in a piece
of art; or the effect of light and shade on
objects in a picture. Value vocabulary includes
tint (adding white to make something lighter),
shade (adding black to make something
darker) and hue (the true color). Shadow,
highlight, and light source are also some
vocabulary words to consider with this element
of art.

Albrecht Durer, Melancholy I, 1514

Space The element of art that

refers to the emptiness or area
around or within objects.
Positive space refers to the part
of the artwork that takes up
space. Negative space is the
area around that object. This
element of art also refers to the
"parts" of the picture...
Foreground, Middle ground and
Background!

John Sloan, South Beach Bathers, 1907-1908

Sources:

Retrieve from: https://www.mayfieldschools.org/ElementsPrinciplesofDesign.aspx

Retrieve from: https://artclasscurator.com/elements-of-art-examples/#Line
Principles of Art

Balance: The balance in a piece of

art refers to the distribution of
weight or the apparent weight of
the piece. Arches are built for
structural design and to hold the
roof in place, allowing for passage
of people below the arch and
creating balance visually and
structurally. It may be the illusion
of art that can create balance.

Contrast: Contrast is
defined as the difference in
colors to create a piece of
visual art. For instance,
black and white is a known
stark contrast and brings
vitality to a piece of art, or it
can ruin the art with too
much contrast. Contrast can
also be subtle when using
monochromatic colors,
giving variety and unity the
final piece of art.
 Emphasis: Emphasis can be color,
unity, balance, or any other principle
or element of art used to create a focal
point. Artists will use emphasis like
placing a string of gold in a field of dark
purple. The color contrast between the
gold and dark purple causes the gold
lettering to pop out, becoming thefocal
point.

Rhythm/Movement: Rhythm in a piece of art denotes a type of repetition used to

either demonstrate movement or expanse. For instance, in a painting of waves
crashing, a viewer will automatically see the movement as the wave finishes. The use
of bold and directional brushwork will also provide movement in a painting.
Proportion/Scale: Proportion is the relationship between items in a painting, for
example, between the sky and mountains. If the sky is more than two-thirds of the
painting, it looks out of proportion. The scale in art is similar to proportion, and if
something is not to scale, it can look odd. If there is a person in the picture and their
hands are too large for their body, then it will look out of scale. Artists can also use
scale and proportion to exaggerate people or landscapes to their advantage.

Unity and variety: In art,

unity conveys a sense of
completeness, pleasure
when viewing the art, and
cohesiveness to the art, and
how the patterns work
together brings unity to the
picture or object. As the
opposite of unity, variety
should provoke changes and
awareness in the art piece.
Colors can provide unity
when they are in the same
color groups, and a splash of
red can provide variety.
 Pattern: Pattern is the way
something is organized and repeated
in its shape or form and can flow
without much structure in some
random repetition. Patterns might
branch out similar to flowers on a
plant or form spirals and circles as a
group of soap bubbles or seem
irregular in the cracked, dry mud. All
works of art have some sort of
pattern even though it may be hard
to discern; the pattern will form by
the colors, the illustrations, theshape,
or numerous other art methods.

Sources:

Retrieve from:
https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Art/A_World_Perspective_of_Art_Appreciation_(Gustlin_and_Gustlin)/01%3A_A_World_Perspective_of_Art_Ap
preciation/1.06%3A_What_Are_the_Elements_of_Art_and_the_Principles_of_Art
 Let’s do Art!

Name:DIEZ, Dawn Ilish Nicole L. Year/Section: 3 BSN B Score:

Instructions: Let’s bring out your inner photographer self! You have 3 tasks in this activity.
First, look and roam around your place then find a subject that worth the shot. Second, take
a photo of it, caption it with the best words that will describe your photo. Third and the last,
list down the elements and principle of designs present in your output. Write your answer in
space provided below. Enjoy shutterbugs!

“If pink skies make your little heart flutter, can you meet me under one of them?”

ELEMENTS PRINCIPLES
- shape - unity and variety
- color - contrast
- value - emphasis
- space